An all-party committee is looking at the issue although Bertie Ahern spoke about an "alternative military ceremony, centred on the GPO, involving a sustainable commitment for the Defence Forces over the coming years towards the centenary." So not quite on par with this year's 90th anniversary parade but just for Fianna Fail to wrap the tricolour around themselves ahead of the general election. Labour leader Pat Rabbitte asked the question in the Dail on Tuesday and the taoiseach was only too happy to dip into his notes to inform us that there are plenty of other dates in Irish history worthy of celebrating in 2007.

"There is the 400th anniversary of the Flight of the Earls, the 400th anniversary of St Anthony's College, Louvain, the 350th anniversary of the death of Luke Wadding, the 400th anniversary of the Honourable Society of King's Inns, the 150th anniversary of the opening of the National History Museum, the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, the centenary of the national anthem, " the taoiseach revealed as he went through his list. But he added that not all these anniversaries will benefit from the government's "commemorative budget."

There was no mention of the 13th anniversary of the Manchester Function and the infamous whip-round for stg£8,000. But then that reunion might be difficult to organize as we were never told the names of those who attended or even the date of when the event in the Four Seasons in Manchester took place.